1000 Vietnamese Dong Banknote (Type 1987)

1,000 Ðồng Dong (Issued 1987)

Vietnam’s currency underwent profound upheaval throughout the 1980s as the government grappled with runaway hyperinflation and the sweeping economic reforms known as Doi Moi, which were formally launched in 1986. The 1,000 Dong note of 1987 sits precisely at that inflection point, issued in the immediate wake of those reforms as the State Bank of Vietnam attempted to stabilise a monetary system under severe strain. Printed using conventional paper-based lithographic and intaglio methods before the later transition to polymer substrates, this note represents the final chapter of a printing tradition that would soon give way to more technologically advanced banknote production. Its imagery of industrialisation reflects the socialist state’s determination to project economic ambition even at a moment of significant financial vulnerability.

On the front, the dominant feature is a portrait of Ho Chi Minh, the founding leader of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the revolutionary figure whose image became the enduring symbol of Vietnamese communist governance, rendered here in finely detailed intaglio engraving to the right of centre. His likeness shows a composed, elderly man with his characteristic thin white beard, dressed simply, and the engraving captures a degree of tonal depth through close-worked parallel line work typical of this era of banknote printing. The background to the left of the portrait features a large circular watermark-style device incorporating the Vietnamese national emblem — a five-pointed gold star set against a red field, encircled by a rice wreath with a cogwheel at the base — rendered in teal and blue tones with an intricate geometric patterned surround of guilloché rosette work. The overall ground colour of the face is a warm olive-green with underlying multicoloured security printing. At the top of the note, the issuing authority name appears in Latin-script text reading “CONG HOA XA HOI CHU NGHIA VIET NAM,” which translates as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, printed in dark brown serif lettering against a pale background panel framed with fine ornamental borders. The large denomination numeral “1000” appears in bold purple-brown ink in the upper left corner, repeated again in the lower right corner, and the words “MOT NGHIN DONG” — meaning one thousand dong — are printed prominently in large bold dark lettering across the centre of the note. The serial number DK 6639130 appears twice, once in the upper right quadrant and once in the lower left, in dark sequential print. A small decorative cartouche at the lower centre bears the year date 1987. The upper and lower borders of the note are filled with repeating ornamental band patterns in brown and green, giving the note a structured and formal appearance consistent with Soviet-influenced banknote design aesthetics of the period.

The reverse presents a scene of heavy industrial activity rendered in dark brown and black intaglio engraving against a pale blue-green background wash. The central and left portion of the design is dominated by a large mechanical excavator or dragline crane, depicted in considerable mechanical detail with its boom extended and a loaded bucket or scoop visible, with a dump truck positioned immediately in front receiving material. The industrial scene extends into a landscape background showing what appears to be a coastal or riverside excavation or mining site, with additional vessels or industrial structures visible on the water in the middle distance and a line of hills beyond. This imagery reflects Vietnam’s socialist-era emphasis on extractive industry and infrastructure construction as markers of national progress. In the upper right of the reverse, the denomination numeral “1000” appears in dark ink within a panel, and the text “NGAN HANG NHA NUOC VIET NAM” — State Bank of Vietnam — is printed in dark lettering across the upper portion of the note in a clean serif typeface. The words “MOT NGHIN DONG” are repeated along the lower right in bold lettering, consistent with the face design. The serial number is partially visible in ghost form through the paper in the lower centre, a consequence of the two-sided printing process. The left margin of the reverse carries a vertical decorative border panel with floral and geometric motifs in purple-brown tones, echoing the ornamental style of the obverse borders. The overall paper shows the characteristic cream-white tone of the pre-polymer substrate, with some visible texture from the intaglio impression.

If you have a 1,000 Dong banknote to exchange, Webuyallcurrency.com takes it as part of its leftover currency service, combining your Vietnamese Dong banknotes with other world coins and banknotes in one easy payout.

• Indicate the quantity of 1,000 Ðồng Dong banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Webuyallcurrency.com helps you exchange old coins and banknotes with no fuss, combining your Vietnamese Dong banknotes with other foreign currency into a single, hassle-free cash exchange.

Other Vietnamese Dong you can exchange: 10, 50, 100, 200, 500, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000.